Apparatus and method for sharing contents via headphone set

• US 8,126,157 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2005
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Hollemans, Gerard, Buil, Vincent Paulus
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Application Number:
  US11/719,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20090097672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,300 Days
• Field of Search: 381/74, 381/315, 381/384, 455 901- 903, 455/569.1, 455/575.2, 455/11.1, 455/3.06, 455 411- 413, 380/270, 380/283
• US Class Current: 381/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/023 Transducers incorporated in garment, rucksacks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

The present invention relates to sharing of content between multiple users. A data player(10) decodes pre-stored audio data therein using a decoding function, and a converter converts the decoded digital data to analog to a headphone set in communication with the data player. When another user places his or her headphone set (2,4) close to the data player(10), the data player(10) confirms whether it has right to receive transmission from the data player, and after successful verification, reproduced data from the data player can be shared by the users.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reproducing data, comprising:

a memory for storing a pre-recorded audio data;

a decoder for decoding the audio data for a subsequent output to at least one headphone set in communication with said apparatus; and

an ID reader for detecting at least one foreign headphone set to determine whether said foreign headphone set has a right to access a requested cryptographic class of service

a processor for controlling the functions of all of the elements of the apparatus including signal processing conversion,

a codec for encoding incoming signals according to an encoding algorithm and for decoding and output from the memory according to a decoding algorithm to produce a digital pre-recorded data,

a digital to analog converter for converting said digital pre-recorded data output from the codec into an analog pre-recorded data and outputting the analog pre-recorded data to an audio output device, and

said audio output device for providing said audio data to at said at least one foreign headphone set via one of optical or radio frequency (RF) transmission.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cryptographic unit for providing cryptographic functions.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said cryptographic unit including at least one preprogrammed encrypting/decrypting key to apply to a digital data received from said foreign headphone set to establish a communication with said foreign headphone set.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said ID reader is an RFID reader to verify a machine-readable symbol on an RFID tag provided in said at least one headphone set.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control input for controlling the reproducing of said audio data based on a key input from an operator.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said decoder (34) decodes MP3 files.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one headphone set is a wireless headphone.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one headphone set is integrated into a wearable garment.

9. A data reproducing device for sharing reproduced data between a plurality of headphone sets, comprising:

a transmitting unit for transmitting said reproduced data to a first headphone set; and

a detecting unit for detecting a second headphone set present near said data reproducing device or said first headphone set in order to validate whether said second headphone set has a right to receive said reproduced data; and

means for transmitting said reproduced data to said second headphone set after successful validation

a processor for controlling the functions of all of the elements of the data processing device including signal processing conversion,

a codec for encoding incoming signals according to an encoding algorithm and for decoding and output from the memory according to a decoding algorithm to produce a digital pre-recorded data,

a digital to analog converter for converting said digital pre-recorded data output from the codec into an analog pre-recorded data and outputting the analog pre-recorded data to an audio output device, and

said audio output device for providing said audio data to at least one foreign headphone set via one of optical or radio frequency (RF) transmission.

10. The device of claim 9, further comprising a cryptographic unit for providing cryptographic functions to perform the validation of right to receive said reproduced data.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said cryptographic unit including at least one preprogrammed encrypting/decrypting key to apply to a digital data received from said second headphone set to establish a communication with said second headphone set.

12. The device of claim 9, further comprising an RFID reader to verify a machine-readable symbol on an RFID tag provided in said second headphone set.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said at least one headphone set is integrated into a wearable garment.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein said first and second headphone sets are wireless headphones.

15. A method for sharing data between a plurality of headphone sets, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a communication connection between a data reproducing unit and a first headphone set;

moving at least one earpiece of a second headphone set in close spatial proximity to said first headphone set associated with a data reproducing unit to establish a communication connection between said first and second headphone sets,

determining by said data reproducing unit whether said second headphone set has a right to receive data transmission from said data reproducing unit based on said communication connection; and

upon successful determination, transmitting the data transmission to said second headphone set.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said detection is validated by applying encrypting/decrypting key to digital data received from said second headphone set.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said detection is validated upon confirmation of a machine-readable symbol on an RFID tag provided in said second headphone set.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said first and second headphone sets are wireless headphones.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said at least one headphone set is integrated into a wearable garment.

20. A method for sharing data between a plurality of headphone sets, the method comprising the steps of:

moving at least one earpiece of a second headphone set in close spatial proximity to a data reproducing unit to establish a communication connection between said foreign headphone set and said data reproducing unit,

exchanging a common encryption key between the first headphone set and one of said data reproducing unit or said first headphone set,

encoding a stream of signals at the data reproducing unit using the previously exchanged common encryption key,

determining by said data reproducing unit whether said foreign headphone set has a right to receive data transmission from said data reproducing unit; and

upon successful determination, transmitting the data transmission to said second headphone set

decoding the data transmission from the data reproducing unit at the second headphone set using a private key associated with the public key.

21. A method for sharing data between a plurality of headphone sets, the method comprising the steps of:

moving at least one earpiece of a foreign headphone set in close spatial proximity to a data reproducing unit to establish a communication connection between said foreign headphone set and said data reproducing unit,

exchanging a common encryption key between the foreign headphone set and said data reproducing unit,

transmitting an ID of the foreign headphone set to the data reproducing unit using a private key of the foreign headphone set,

determining by said data reproducing unit the ID of the foreign headphone set to determine whether said foreign headphone set has a right to receive data transmission from said data reproducing unit; and

upon successful determining the ID of the foreign headphone set at the data reproducing device, allowing a communication connection between said data reproducing unit and said foreign headphone set.

22. A method for sharing data between a plurality of headphone sets, the method comprising the steps of:

moving at least one earpiece of a foreign headphone set in close spatial proximity to a first headphone set associated with a data reproducing unit to establish a communication connection between said foreign headphone set and said first headphone set,

establishing a communication connection between said first headphone set and said data reproducing unit,

determining by said data reproducing unit whether said foreign headphone set has a right to receive data transmission from said data reproducing unit; and

upon successful determination, transmitting the data transmission to said foreign headphone set from said data reproducing unit via said first headphone set.

23. A data reproducing device for sharing reproduced data between a plurality of wireless headphone sets, comprising:

a transmitting unit for transmitting said reproduced data to a first wireless headphone set;

a detecting unit comprising an RFID reader, the detecting unit for detecting a second wireless headphone set present near said data reproducing device or said first headphone set, the RFID reader for verifying a machine-readable symbol on an RFID tag provided in said second headphone set, in order to validate whether said second headphone set has a right to receive said reproduced data; and

means for transmitting said reproduced data to said second headphone set after successful validation.

24. The device of claim 23, further comprising a cryptographic unit for providing cryptographic functions to perform the validation of right to receive said reproduced data.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein said cryptographic unit including at least one preprogrammed encrypting/decrypting key to apply to a digital data received from said second headphone set to establish a communication with said second headphone set.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said at least one headphone set is integrated into a wearable garment.

27. A method for sharing data between a plurality of wireless headphone sets, the method comprising the acts of:

establishing a communication connection between a data reproducing unit and a first wireless headphone set;

detecting a second wireless headphone set to determine whether said second headphone set has a right to receive data transmission from said data reproducing unit, using an RFID reader for verifying a machine-readable symbol on an RFID tag provided in said second headphone set; and

upon successful determination, transmitting the data transmission to said second headphone set.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said detection is validated by applying encrypting/decrypting key to digital data received from said second headphone set.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said at least one headphone set is integrated into a wearable garment.